


On the Edge of Betrayal

by a1_kitkat



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Aliens, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Jesse Manes is an Ass, M/M, Malex, Not Beta Read, Prompt Fill, Secrets, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 07:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17997911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: The secret is out.The Air Force is coming for them after Alex betrays the pod squadMichael refuses to believe Alex would do such a thing & won’t leave until he hears the truth





	On the Edge of Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @signoraviolettavalery on tumblr who wanted something angsty

Their bags were always packed in the event things took a turn and they needed to make a quick getaway; Max and Isobel had never expected to ever need it but they’d each kept one at Michael’s insistence so they were both shocked when he turned up without his.

“Michael, what are you doing?” Max was trying to keep the panic from his voice “we have to go; now!”  
“I can’t” Michael argued “not yet”  
“Michael?” Isobel was taking Max’s side “you said yourself, they’re coming”

There were tears in all their eyes but Michael reached for Isobel’s hand. They didn’t have time for this.

“I’ll be right behind you” he promised “I just... please, I have to do this one thing”  
“We can’t leave you!”  
“You have to. I swear, I’ll be ten minutes behind you”

Isobel threw her arms around him, terrified that she’d never see him again. Michael hugged her back while attempting to guide her towards Max’s jeep.  
They separated and Michael practically lifted her from the ground and into the passenger seat.

“Go!” He insisted.

Max was by his side now, hand on his shoulder.  
“Come with us, please?” He tried one last time.  
“I can’t” Michael said “I have to know...”  
“You already know”  
“I need to hear it from him”  
“It’s suicide”  
“I have to know”

Michael threw his arms around Max and hugged him. Over his shoulder, he could see the tears still spilling down Isobel’s cheeks.

“I’ll see you both soon” he said, his eyes locked with Isobel’s.

He released Max but didn’t linger any longer. Michael blinked back his own tears and turned away, unable to watch them drive away from him, leaving him behind, again.

*

He moved quickly and quietly, hoped Max and Isobel managed to make it past the checkpoints that were starting to appear all over town. The Air Force weren’t wasting their time; Michael dodged two patrols and jumped into the first car he came across. It wasn’t hard to hot wire and moments later he was heading across town.

They were coming for him; he knew it, Max and Isobel knew it; they weren’t safe anymore, if they’d ever been safe. But it didn’t make any sense, it just couldn’t be true.  
He’d gotten a cryptic message from Kyle that he hadn’t wanted to believe but had taken very seriously. It had been direct to the point ‘they got to Alex; they’re coming for you. Run!’

Michael didn’t know why Kyle would be trying to help them or if it was a setup to see if they’d take the bait but he’d seen the frenzy activity around the base and knew something was up but he couldn’t believe Alex had turned on him. Was it because Michael hadn’t been the one to tell him? That he’d had to learn Michael’s secret from Kyle of all people?

No; Alex wouldn’t do that to him. He was certain that he could find Alex and hear the truth for himself.  
Once he was nearing his destination, Michael ditched the car and continued on foot until he reached the tool shed.  
It hadn’t changed in ten years and stirred up so many mixed memories. Of being with Alex for the first time, how nervous and giddy they’d been. How overwhelmed with emotion he’d been and the intensity of their feelings for each other. The way Alex had smiled up at him after then the paralyzing fear they’d experienced when Jesse Manes had caught them together.

Michael opened the door and stepped inside. Nothing inside had changed either. It was like no one had set foot in here in ten years. His heart sank; he was sure he’d find Alex here, ready to explain himself but the shed was deserted.  
He took a deep breath then sank down on the old, dusty bed. Where he’d been intimate with Alex for the first time all those years ago... where he’d pulled away from Alex’s first attempt to kiss him.  
Perhaps it had always been his destiny for Alex to betray him? Alex had tried even back then to protect him but his father had so much power over him... he wouldn’t put it past the Master Sergeant to have threatened Alex or even Liz or Maria. If Jesse Manes threatened to kill Liz or Maria to learn the truth from Alex, maybe he would sell out an alien to protect a human?

He knew he’d lost his chance to catch up to Max and Isobel but that had been the risk he’d chosen to take. He’d been certain he’d find Alex here, waiting for him, able to explain how they knew about him, Max and Isobel. 

When the door opened behind him, Michael didn’t even look up. He simply sighed and stared down at his damaged hand. This was where Manes had started to destroy him, it was only fitting he finish him off here too.

“So much for a superior race” Manes’ voice was smug.

Michael slowly looked up to meet his gaze but what was the point in arguing with the man?

“Ten years and you still come back here?” Manes laughed “did you really think he’d be here? Waiting for you?”

Michael looked down at his hand again. Remembered how tenderly Alex had kissed his scars after they’d rekindled their... whatever they’d had.  
Alex had gently kissed Michael’s hand while Michael himself had carefully touched Alex’s scars. They’d found solace in each other, had comforted and reassured each other.  
Alex wouldn’t betray that.  
But he had.

“My son is a decorated war hero” Manes continued “and you... I’m going to enjoy watching them dissect you”

Manes moved closer to Michael and grabbed hold of his wrist.  
“These hands that you used to defile my son” he sneered “I’ll make sure they remove each finger, one at a time, as painfully as possible”

Michael held back his tears. He wasn’t afraid of the threats or the man making them. Right now he was scared of his memories. His hands on Alex’s body was one of his most vivid memories, one that had gotten him through some of the darkest times of his life, he didn’t want them to be forever linked to betrayal and heartbreak... But, he told himself, if Manes was here right now, taunting him, then he wasn’t out there looking for Max and Isobel.

“Your son was the best sex I’ve ever had” Michael said as he stared into Jesse Manes dark eyes.

Pain, unlike any he’d felt before, shot through his body and he fell to the ground, trembling in shock. He looked up and saw the taser in Jesse’s hand.

“Coward” Michael snapped “always hiding behind a weapon; a hammer and now a taser”

Jesse Manes raised his foot and kicked Michael in the head until he passed out.

*

Alex had no idea how long he’d been detained in the holding cell nor had he recognized either of the officers that had brought him here. He wasn’t even sure why he was there; he hadn’t done anything he wasn’t supposed to.

His worse case scenario was someone had found out about ‘the pod squad’ and was going to attempt to get information out of him but he didn’t know enough to be a help to them or a threat to Michael and the others.

It had been some time since there’d been movement outside his cell. He knocked on the door but there was no answer.

“You can’t keep me here!” He called to the empty corridor.

The minutes ticked by until he decided to try his crutch on the door. It didn’t budge but did cause damage to his crutch.

Then he heard a commotion in the hall. It sounded like a fight and his heart leapt into his throat. Was Michael coming to save him? A part of him hoped not, Michael couldn’t risk coming onto an Air Force base.

As quickly as it started, the commotion was over. Alex moved away from the door, hoping whoever took out those in the hall wouldn’t turn on him, he wasn’t exactly good at hand to hand combat these days.

The lock turned and the door started to open. He picked up the crutch, hoping to knock whoever came in out cold but stopped when he realized it was...

“Kyle?” Alex was shocked “what are you doing here?”  
“I came to save you” he replied.  
“Save me? How did you even find me?”  
“Come on, we’ve got to go!”

Kyle held his arm out and helped Alex out the door.  
“Do you even know where you are?” Kyle asked him.  
“Well on base obviously” Alex replied.  
“No, this is an abandoned base... your dad’s been keeping his alien research here”  
“What?”  
“Alex, he knows”

Alex felt a wave of unease pass over him.  
“What?” He barely choked out the word.  
“He knows about Michael, Max and Isobel”  
“But... how?”  
“You told him”

Alex yanked his arm away from Kyle and stared at him in shock.  
“I swear, I would never!” He insisted.  
“He drugged you with some weird stuff that he said made you suggest-able... I tried to stop him but I was afraid he’d try it on me next and I know a heck of a lot more than you do”  
“Are they okay?” Alex’s heart was racing.  
“I got word to Michael and I think they skipped town”  
“You think?”

“Your dad” Kyle explained “he went after Michael”  
“What?” Alex gasped. He couldn’t fathom the idea of his father hurting Michael again. “We have to find them!”  
“I know but how? Where?”  
“The old crash site! My dad doesn’t want to study them; he wants them dead... but Michael... my dad knows about me and Michael... he’s known for years... this is personal. Come on, let’s go!”

*

When Michael opened his eyes, he was in the back of a large SUV. His hands and feet were tied and he immediately tried to loosen the binds but nothing happened. He reached up and felt something around his neck.

“What the hell?” He didn’t mean to say it aloud but the person driving heard him.  
Master Sergeant Manes’ voice was very smug from the drivers seat. 

“I see you’re not a fan of the collar” he chuckled.

Michael struggled to sit up.  
“I’m not your fucking dog” he snapped.  
“No, dogs can be tamed. You’re another animal entirely. You come to my planet, kill its citizens, frame them for murder, corrupt my son, destroy my family”  
“You fucked up your family yourself”

The Master Sergeant slammed on the brakes, Michael’s head connected with the side door.  
“I’m not going to dissect you” he snapped “until after I kill you”

Michael sat up again and peered out the window. They weren’t in town anymore, he recognized the road leading to the ranch, the old crash site. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Manes was taking him back to where he woke up on this planet to kill him.

He couldn’t even think of anything snarky to say. He wanted to brag about all the times he’d had Alex in his bed, just too piss him off but the memory hurt now. He thought Alex had cared for him, the way he felt for him... that, maybe now Alex knew the truth, there could’ve been a future for the two of them.  
But of course Alex had told his dad. The dutiful soldier doing what’s best for his country.

When the car came to a stop, Michael threw open the door and started to run but he’d forgotten his feet were tied together and immediately fell over.  
Manes came around and produced a knife which he used to free Michael’s feet.

“Up there, now” Manes pointed to the nearby rock formation.  
“You gonna take me up to watch the sunset?” Michael asked him.  
“On your feet now!”

Michael spat at Manes’ feet only to have the man backhand him across the face. He spat blood from his mouth then reluctantly climbed to his feet.

They marched up the rock formation to the topmost point where Michael stood his ground. His hands were still tied and the collar was almost choking him but he kept his head high.

“This isn’t exactly a fair fight” Michael argued.  
“Nothing about this is fair” Manes replied. “But justice will be served and once I find the other aliens, they’ll meet the same fate. Though their deaths may be slower in the end”

With the threat of hurting Max and Isobel hanging in the air, Michael launched himself at the Master Sergeant.

*

Alex was terrified they’d be too late; he wasn’t even sure if they were going to the right place but something in his gut was telling him this was where they needed to go.  
It was a small relief to pull up beside his father’s SUV. Alex threw open the door and grabbed his crutch.

“Kyle, you need to make sure Max and Isobel got away” Alex told him.  
“What? I’m not letting you go up there alone”  
“You have to. I’m the only one that might be able to stop him”  
“Alex-“  
“Kyle, please? Go to Liz, tell her what’s happened”  
“But-“  
“We’re wasting time. Go, I’ll be fine”

Alex was already out of the car. He tried to hurry up the rock formation but it was difficult with the crutch and the higher he climbed, the worse he felt. What if he was already too late?

When the top was within sight, he saw Michael and his father fighting but it was nowhere near a fair fight. As he continued to hurry up the incline, he saw Michael free his hand and begin to really fight back. At least he was giving as good as he got.

Alex climbed up the final hurdle in time to see his father grab Michael in a headlock. He dropped his crutch, determined to get between them when his father lost his footing and both of them tumbled over the edge.  
He leapt forward and reached for both of them. Alex grabbed Michael’s hand and his father’s cuff but he didn’t have a strong grip on either of them.  
He was on his stomach, stretched over the edge, staring at two very different faces and the very steep drop below.

He wasn’t going to be able to hold both of them. Alex immediately regretted his decision to send Kyle away. What was he going to do?

*

Both Michael and Jesse were equally shocked to see who had caught them, had saved them from toppling to their deaths but now was the difficult part for they each knew that Alex couldn’t save them both.

Michael’s heart was racing and not from fear or adrenaline. Alex was here, Alex was trying to save him. Did that mean Alex hadn’t really betrayed them? He wanted, so badly, to believe Alex could be trusted.

Beside him, Manes looked equally as shocked to see Alex there, holding him, being the one thing between him and certain death... and he knew it.

“Son, what are you doing?” Manes began.  
“I... I can’t hold both of you” Alex panted, sweat already on his brow.  
“You don’t have to. Just let the alien go”  
“Dad!”  
“They killed Rosa Ortecho and two other girls; they’re violent and evil, they’re not even human. You won’t be punished for doing what’s right for your country”  
“Dad?”  
“Please, son?”

Michael hadn’t said a word, his eyes simply flickered from Alex’s terrified and exhausted face to Manes’ hard and determined one. He could feel Alex’s grip slipping and wished he could somehow get this stupid collar off. If he could use his powers he could save all three of them.

“Let the alien go” Manes continued “and pull me up! Please, son, do the right thing, make me proud”

Alex looked down and his eyes met with Michael’s; those same eyes that made him feel seventeen again, those eyes that still looked at him the same way after all these years.

“I’m slipping, son, please?” Hearing Jesse Manes beg wasn’t something Michael was used to and clearly neither was Alex.  
“I love you, Alex, you’re my son and always will be; no matter what”

Michael saw the tears in Alex’s eyes when he realized this was the first time Alex had ever heard those words from his father. 

“Do what you gotta do” Michael said as he stared into Alex’s tear filled eyes.

The next sound he heard was fabric tearing as Jesse’s sleeve gave out, followed by the slow, echoing scream as he fell down, down, down and landed at the base on the rocks with a loud yet dull thud.

Alex mustered what little strength he had left and pulled Michael up beside him. They collapsed in the dirt, side by side, Michael still grasping Alex’s hand. Both with tears in their eyes.

They each sat up at the same time then Alex reached around behind Michael’s neck and released the collar. It fell to the ground between them.

Michael wasn’t sure what to do. Alex was here, had just saved his life by sacrificing his fathers. He reached out, his hand lingering near Alex’s heart only to have Alex reach up and take hold of his hand.

“Are you okay?” Alex asked him.  
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”  
“Michael!”

It was the first time Alex had ever called him by his name. It sounded off but also like it meant something more.  
Michael reached up with his other hand and placed it upon Alex’s cheek, softly caressing his skin.

“You saved my life” he whispered as he brought their foreheads together.  
“I saved us” he replied “Guerin, you are my life, you always have been”  
“I... I’m sorry I ever believed him”  
“What?”  
“He said that you... that you turned us in”  
“I did” Michael’s grip tightened “he drugged me and forced parts out of me... I tried to fight but the injections were too strong. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry”  
“It wasn’t your fault and you’re here now”  
“Of course, I’ll always be here for you Guerin”

Michael reached up and cupped Alex’s face with both hands then gazed into his eyes.  
He leaned forward and kissed him.

“I’m sorry” Michael said after he pulled away “sorry you had to make a choice like that”  
“I chose you; I’ll always choose you”

Alex collapsed in Michael’s arms and began to sob as the reality of what just happened finally sunk in. Jesse Manes was gone, was no longer a threat to Alex, Michael or anyone else.  
Alex Manes was free, free to be whoever he wanted to be, free to love whoever he chose to love.  
He would always choose Michael.


End file.
